New Video From Fleet Foxes

Directed by Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold's brother Sean, the new video from the Foxes is nothing short of hypnotic. The animated animals' saga is backed by "The Shrine/An Argument", a great cut from the Foxes 2011 LP Helplessness Blues.

It definitely gives a nod to Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are but it ends on a decidedly darker note....check it out

The Shrine / An Argument from Sean Pecknold on Vimeo.

BRAIDS: Live at XOYO

Dream-pop buzz band BRAIDS played for a packed house this week at XOYO. In 2008 BRAIDS released their first EP and started playing with bands including Deerhunter. But the band from Montreal has gotten lots of attention since the release of their debut full length album Native Speaker earlier this year. They’ve drawn comparisons to early Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire (though I like them better than both) and garnered much due praise from sites like Pitchfork and Stereogum.

The fairly new outfit consists of a typical indie rock set-up with a guitarist, keys, drums, and bass with each member contributing vocals. But they also use loop machines and synths to craft their dreamlike melodies, which can sometimes spell disaster at a live gig. I’ll admit that after listening to the tracks from Native Speaker I was skeptical of their ability to recreate the impressive atmosphere that you get when listening to the record. Wrong I was. Their set was a non-stop ebb and flow of mesmerizing soundscapes: a perfect amalgam of wafting airy vocals, oozing synths and seriously tight drums.

BRAIDS were all about creating a mood with sound. 

BRAIDS-Lemonade

BRAIDS- Native Speaker

Click Read More to read the full review....

Amy Winehouse-Lioness: Hidden Treasures

We all knew The Soul Queen of Camden had unreleased material, the question was when it would reach the rest of us. The question has been answered with the announcement of the December release of Lioness: Hidden Treasures, a collection of previously unreleased tracks spanning the course of her career. The 12 tunes are a mix of new, unheard material and alternative versions of her most familiar tracks as well as a few covers. American producer Salaam Remi, who had worked with Amy since she was signed to Island Records in 2002 says, “It’s not the album she would have made. But these are things I would like people to know that she did. It makes no sense them sitting on my hard drive wilting away.”


In classic Amy fashion, jazz standards are included in the mix with contemporary hip-hop tracks. Listeners will be glad to hear the inclusion of an original version of "The Girl From Ipanema" and Donny Hathaway's "Song for You" recorded in one of Remi's first sessions with Amy when she was 18.
For fans the release of this posthumous collection will bring mixed emotions. On the one hand, we can always be grateful for new or unreleased material from a beloved artist, but this collection presents only a shadow of what her 3rd album would have been and will most certainly leave us with a twinge of regret that we'll never hear the final product. 


One of the first tracks to leak features verses from her close friend and creative influence Nasir Jones, better known as the rapper Nas. Winehouse's tune Me and Mr. Jones was written about a boyfriend who she wouldn't let get between her and the Nas gig in Brixton. After her death Nas agreed to add lyrics to the previously recorded original. Listen to the track below.

Amy Winehouse- Like Smoke (ft. Nas)


Check back for more news on the full album set to be released on December 5th

-Hillary D.

Richard Swarbrick's Animated Footy

Richard Swarbrick gives a new dimension to the beautiful game with his wonderful broad stroke animations. A multi-media director based in London, Swarbrick has done animations for newspapers such as The Sun, commercials and films.

'Bale' chronicles Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale as he flies across the field completing goal after goal against Inter-Milan. The creative process begins with chosen shots of live action footage. Then Swarbrick sets his own composed music as a backdrop and begins the painting process. Once completed the paintings are strung together using After Effects software to create focus changes and backgrounds.

See more of Richard's work on , including his series of animations of Wayne Rooney for The Sun here

Purity Ring at Old Blue Last

Canadian Electrowave duo Purity Ring popped into London for an evening gig at the Old Blue Last in Shoreditch last weekend. And after a short but intense set Megan James and Corey Roddick left the small but dedicated crowd wanting a bit more.

It was no surprise to see their set only consisted of a few tightly rehearsed tracks filled with Roddick's layered drum chops and James' lofty airy vocals. The band began releasing tracks about 9 months ago and since they've only debuted about 5 or 6. In their defense, when Pitchfork asked them why they have released so few tracks Roddick replied "...releasing a constant stream of music can cheapen the work. We want each song to linger with people."

Emphasis on perfectionism was pretty evident at the show. Sometimes electric music from new bands can get sloppy when bands are forced to come out of their basements and onto a live stage, but James and Roddick kept everything in line from the sharp synth riffs to the chopped up vocals.  But at shows like this I always find myself hoping they will let loose a bit, improvise. Especially when the set was over and all they could do was throw their hands up and say "That's all the songs we've got". I wanted to scream back...make something up! 

But despite the brevity, the set was intense enough to keep the listeners very interested and wanting more. Roddick's Quality over quantity mantra won out here.

Purity Ring- Ungirthed

Purity Ring- Lofticries

  

Keep checking back for new tracks from Purity Ring.